The present invention relates to a sewing apparatus used for hemming briefs for men and shorts for women, and is designed for wrapping the bottom of a leg part of a workpiece with a binding tape and sewing the binding tape thereon, while inserting an elastic stretched tape into the binding tape and sewing an end part of the elastic tape.
Conventionally, an apparatus for automatically inserting an elastic tape into a binding tape, while wrapping the bottom part of briefs or shorts with the tape, and sewing the leading and trailing ends of the elastic tape to the bottom part is disclosed in Japanese Utility Model Publication Sho. 62-15033. However, one of the problems associated with this apparatus is that it causes waste, because the elastic tape is cut together with the binding tape after the sewing operation, the elastic tape being cut to the same length as that of the binding tape, even when it is required as part of a bottom part. A tape feed apparatus having an elastic tape cutter provided before a sewing area is disclosed in Japanese Utility Model Publication Sho. 54-6604. One problem associated with this apparatus is that an air cylinder for driving a knife of the cutter is laterally projected, thus, a large space is required. Another problem is that, when a tape which is fed in a stretched state with high tension is cut before the sewing area of the sewing machine, the cut and released tape end is contracted, drawn toward a sewing needle, and sewn on a workpiece in the contracted state, thus, a long part with insufficient elasticity is left after the sewing operation.